scholarly journals Lyme disease risk in southern California: abiotic and environmental drivers of Ixodes pacificus (Acari: Ixodidae) density and infection prevalence with Borrelia burgdorferi

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew J. MacDonald ◽  
David W. Hyon ◽  
John B. Brewington ◽  
Kerry E. O’Connor ◽  
Andrea Swei ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lyme Disease ◽  
Borrelia Burgdorferi ◽  
Southern California ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Environmental Drivers ◽  
Infection Prevalence ◽  
Ixodes Pacificus ◽  
Lyme Disease Risk

Lyme Disease Risk of Exposure to Blacklegged Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) Infected with Borrelia burgdorferi (Spirochaetales: Spirochaetaceae) in Pittsburgh Regional Parks

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 273-280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison E Simmons ◽  
Anna B Manges ◽  
Tashi Bharathan ◽  
Shannon L Tepe ◽  
Sara E McBride ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lyme Disease ◽  
Borrelia Burgdorferi ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Disease Incidence ◽  
The United States ◽  
Sensu Stricto ◽  
Urban Landscapes ◽  
Infection Prevalence ◽  
Risk Of Exposure ◽  
Lyme Disease Risk

Abstract Lyme disease is the most commonly reported vector-borne illness and sixth most commonly reported notifiable infectious disease in the United States. The majority of cases occur in the Northeast and upper-Midwest, and the number and geographic distribution of cases is steadily increasing. The blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis Say) is the principal vector of the Lyme disease spirochete (Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto) in eastern North America. Although Lyme disease risk has been studied in residential and recreational settings across rural to urban landscapes including metropolitan areas, risk within U.S. cities has not been adequately evaluated despite the presence of natural and undeveloped public parkland where visitors could be exposed to B. burgdorferi-infected I. scapularis. We studied the occurrence of I. scapularis and infection prevalence of B. burgdorferi in four insular regional parks within the city of Pittsburgh to assess Lyme disease risk of exposure to infected adults and nymphs. We found that the density of I. scapularis adults (1.16 ± 0.21 ticks/100 m2) and nymphs (3.42 ± 0.45 ticks/100 m2), infection prevalence of B. burgdorferi in adults (51.9%) and nymphs (19.3%), and density of infected adults (0.60 ticks/100 m2) and nymphs (0.66 ticks/100 m2) are as high in these city parks as nonurban residential and recreational areas in the highly endemic coastal Northeast. These findings emphasize the need to reconsider, assess, and manage Lyme disease risk in greenspaces within cities, especially in high Lyme disease incidence states.

Diversifying forest communities may change Lyme disease risk: extra dimension to the dilution effect in Europe

Parasitology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 143 (10) ◽  
pp. 1310-1319 ◽  
Author(s):  
SANNE C. RUYTS ◽  
EVY AMPOORTER ◽  
ELENA C. COIPAN ◽  
LANDER BAETEN ◽  
DIETER HEYLEN ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Lyme Disease ◽  
Borrelia Burgdorferi ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Dilution Effect ◽  
Ixodid Ticks ◽  
Infection Prevalence ◽  
Host Diversity ◽  
Pine Stands

SUMMARYLyme disease is caused by bacteria of theBorrelia burgdorferigenospecies complex and transmitted by Ixodid ticks. In North America only one pathogenic genospecies occurs, in Europe there are several. According to the dilution effect hypothesis (DEH), formulated in North America, nymphal infection prevalence (NIP) decreases with increasing host diversity since host species differ in transmission potential. We analysedBorreliainfection in nymphs from 94 forest stands in Belgium, which are part of a diversification gradient with a supposedly related increasing host diversity: from pine stands without to oak stands with a shrub layer. We expected changing tree species and forest structure to increase host diversity and decrease NIP. In contrast with the DEH, NIP did not differ between different forest types. Genospecies diversity however, and presumably also host diversity, was higher in oak than in pine stands. Infected nymphs tended to harbourBorrelia afzeliiinfection more often in pine stands whileBorrelia gariniiandBorrelia burgdorferiss. infection appeared to be more prevalent in oak stands. This has important health consequences, since the latter two cause more severe disease manifestations. We show that the DEH must be nuanced for Europe and should consider the response of multiple pathogenic genospecies.

Do birds affect Lyme disease risk? Range expansion of the vector‐borne pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi

2009 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Jory Brinkerhoff ◽  
Corrine M Folsom-O'Keefe ◽  
Kimberly Tsao ◽  
Maria A Diuk-Wasser
Keyword(s):  
Lyme Disease ◽  
Borrelia Burgdorferi ◽  
Range Expansion ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Vector Borne ◽  
Lyme Disease Risk

Borrelia burgdorferi (Spirochaetales: Spirochaetaceae) Infection Prevalence and Host Associations of Ticks Found on Peromyscus spp. in Maryland

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia E Poje ◽  
Jose F Azevedo ◽  
Nisha Nair ◽  
Kurayi Mahachi ◽  
Lexi E Frank ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lyme Disease ◽  
Borrelia Burgdorferi ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Ixodes Scapularis ◽  
Sensu Stricto ◽  
Infection Prevalence ◽  
Private Land ◽  
Tissue Samples ◽  
Wild Mice ◽  
Significant Difference

Abstract Lyme disease, caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto and most commonly transmitted by Ixodes scapularis Say (Ixodida: Ixodidae), is the most common tick-borne disease in Maryland. Because B. burgdorferi s.s. is maintained in enzootic cycles among wild mice (Peromyscus spp) and Ixodes spp ticks, differing patterns of parasitism of ticks on mice could impact the infection prevalence with B. burgdorferi. We determined the infection prevalence of Peromyscus spp as well as questing and partially engorged nymphal ticks collected at six sites on private land in five counties in Maryland from May to August 2020. Questing nymph infection prevalence (NIP) was 14%. We trapped 1258 mice and collected 554 ticks and 413 ear tissue samples. The prevalence of infested Peromyscus spp varied based on host age and sex, with older and male mice more likely to be infested. We detected a significant difference amongst the proportion of attached Ixodes and the location of trapping. Similarly, the prevalence of B. burgdorferi infected Peromyscus spp mice varied between locations (average mouse infection prevalence was 40%), with the highest prevalence in locations where Ixodes were the most commonly found ticks. The B. burgdorferi infection prevalence in partially engorged I. scapularis nymphs retrieved from Peromyscus spp was ~36% which lends further support to the host infection prevalence. Local differences in distribution of infected vectors and reservoirs are important factors to consider when planning interventions to reduce Lyme disease risk.

scholarly journals Impact of the experimental removal of lizards on Lyme disease risk

2011 ◽  
Vol 278 (1720) ◽  
pp. 2970-2978 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Swei ◽  
Richard S. Ostfeld ◽  
Robert S. Lane ◽  
Cheryl J. Briggs
Keyword(s):  
Lyme Disease ◽  
Disease Ecology ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Large Fraction ◽  
Host Community ◽  
Deer Mice ◽  
Infection Prevalence ◽  
Alternate Host ◽  
Experimental Removal ◽  
Tick Infection

The distribution of vector meals in the host community is an important element of understanding and predicting vector-borne disease risk. Lizards (such as the western fence lizard; Sceloporus occidentalis ) play a unique role in Lyme disease ecology in the far-western United States. Lizards rather than mammals serve as the blood meal hosts for a large fraction of larval and nymphal western black-legged ticks ( Ixodes pacificus —the vector for Lyme disease in that region) but are not competent reservoirs for the pathogen, Borrelia burgdorferi . Prior studies have suggested that the net effect of lizards is to reduce risk of human exposure to Lyme disease, a hypothesis that we tested experimentally. Following experimental removal of lizards, we documented incomplete host switching by larval ticks (5.19%) from lizards to other hosts. Larval tick burdens increased on woodrats, a competent reservoir, but not on deer mice, a less competent pathogen reservoir. However, most larvae failed to find an alternate host. This resulted in significantly lower densities of nymphal ticks the following year. Unexpectedly, the removal of reservoir-incompetent lizards did not cause an increase in nymphal tick infection prevalence. The net result of lizard removal was a decrease in the density of infected nymphal ticks, and therefore a decreased risk to humans of Lyme disease. Our results indicate that an incompetent reservoir for a pathogen may, in fact, increase disease risk through the maintenance of higher vector density and therefore, higher density of infected vectors.

scholarly journals Comparing the Climatic and Landscape Risk Factors for Lyme Disease Cases in the Upper Midwest and Northeast United States

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (5) ◽  
pp. 1548
Author(s):  
Yuting Dong ◽  
Zheng Huang ◽  
Yong Zhang ◽  
Yingying X.G. Wang ◽  
Yang La
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
Lyme Disease ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Ixodes Scapularis ◽  
Upper Midwest ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Vector Borne Diseases ◽  
Landscape Factors ◽  
Lyme Disease Risk

Lyme disease, recognized as one of the most important vector-borne diseases worldwide, has been increasing in incidence and spatial extend in United States. In the Northeast and Upper Midwest, Lyme disease is transmitted by Ixodes scapularis. Currently, many studies have been conducted to identify factors influencing Lyme disease risk in the Northeast, however, relatively few studies focused on the Upper Midwest. In this study, we explored and compared the climatic and landscape factors that shape the spatial patterns of human Lyme cases in these two regions, using the generalized linear mixed models. Our results showed that climatic variables generally had opposite correlations with Lyme disease risk, while landscape factors usually had similar effects in these two regions. High precipitation and low temperature were correlated with high Lyme disease risk in the Upper Midwest, while with low Lyme disease risk in the Northeast. In both regions, size and fragmentation related factors of residential area showed positive correlations with Lyme disease risk. Deciduous forests and evergreen forests had opposite effects on Lyme disease risk, but the effects were consistent between two regions. In general, this study provides new insight into understanding the differences of risk factors of human Lyme disease risk in these two regions.

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